The Gryffindor Daredevil
by Jedusor
Summary: James likes Lily, Lily hates James- where does Sirius come into the equation? And what would happen if Lily found out about the Animagi?


I have wanted to write a Lily/James fic ever since I first read "Destined to Be", but inspiration has only just struck as to the circumstances. It might not be very obvious in this chapter, but I have an interesting twist to throw in later. Hope you like it!  
  
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"POTTER!"  
  
Everyone in the common room looked up as the yell echoed down from the girls' dormitories. It was soon followed by a sixth-year girl who looked as if she might breathe fire if anyone stood between her and her quarry. Fortunately, everyone had the sense to stay out of her way.  
  
James Potter looked up innocently from a game of chess with Sirius Black, his best friend. "Yes, Evans?"  
  
"Do you remember last week, when I told you I'd punch your lights out if you sent me one more mushy valentine?"  
  
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think you said something along those lines, yes."  
  
Lily Evans smiled a smile that almost every Slytherin boy knew, and a good scatter of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors as well. James had seen it many times. Usually, he managed to duck. Not this time.  
  
"Now, Evans, was that really necessary?" asked Sirius, as Remus Lupin hurried over to perform a Healing Charm.  
  
"Don't you say he wasn't warned, Black." Lily sat down in James's recently vacated spot. "Check."  
  
Sirius moved his king. "No, he was warned."  
  
"You don't think he deserved it?"  
  
"Always does." Sirius grinned. "Actually, I'm surprised he keeps trying. He should know better, after what you did to him last Christmas."  
  
Lily brushed her dark red hair out of her eyes. "He doesn't like to think there's a girl he can't conquer."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm looking at her. Checkmate."  
  
James groaned and stirred. Lily looked at her watch and stood up. "I have to go to the library, to finish my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay."  
  
Sirius stood up too. "Can I join you? I need a book on Kneazles for Care of Magical Creatures."  
  
Lily grinned and offered him her arm.  
  
James opened his eyes. Everything was bleary and his forehead hurt. He sat up. There was Sirius and Evans going out the portrait hole, arm in arm. He was definitely hallucinating.  
  
"Prongs? You all right, mate?" came Remus's concerned voice from behind him. James groaned.  
  
"I should've seen that coming, huh?" he asked, staggering to an armchair. Peter squeaked and rolled out from under him. "Oops, sorry, Wormtail. Didn't see you."  
  
Remus sat down next to James, straightening his robes. "You shouldn't provoke her, James. She doesn't like you and that's that. Remember what happened last Christmas? You don't want her to do that again. There had to be one girl who didn't turn to jelly in front of you."  
  
"That's why I like her. She's got spirit."  
  
"And a fast left." Remus started to clear up the chess game.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing? Padfoot and I weren't done, and we had a bet on this game."  
  
"You lost," Peter said, poking his head around the chair arm. "Evans finished it for you. She and Padfoot left a minute ago, said they were headed for the library. They looked awfully chummy, don't you think, Moony?"  
  
James sat up straight, forgetting his pounding headache. "They WHAT???" he yelled, causing half the common room to glance over again.  
  
"Went to the library," said Peter, looking confused. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
But James had already sprinted out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Vampires, vampires.. Why aren't there any books on vampires in this library?" Lily asked no one in particular, searching the shelves.  
  
"Looking for something?" asked Madam Pince, staring down her pince-nez at Lily.  
  
"Yes, where are the vampire books?"  
  
"Over here, Evans," Sirius whispered, appearing behind her so suddenly that Lily could have sworn he'd Apparated. He led her to a different section of the library and pointed out the right shelf. "They're classified as Class A Non-Humans, so they're not with the creatures."  
  
Lily shook her head, grinning. "I think you know this library better than Pince does, Black."  
  
"Not as well as Moony. He spends more time in here than Prongs and I combined."  
  
"Why do you call them Moony and Prongs?" asked Lily curiously. She'd heard the four boys calling each other by strange nicknames, but she had never figured out why. Actually, she'd never cared.  
  
"Oh, just a private joke." Sirius looked around to make sure Madam Pince couldn't see him, and performed a Levitating Charm to get a book down from the top shelf. Lily raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. She had surreptitiously broken enough school rules not to be able to tell him off about it.  
  
"Black, what do you know about Animagi?"  
  
Sirius raised one eyebrow. "Why?"  
  
Lily shrugged. "Just wondering." She knew Black and Potter were both obsessed with Animagi, but she hadn't had a chance to ask Black without Potter around to make smarmy comments. She also hadn't missed the way Black's shoulders had stiffened when she had mentioned it, although he was doing his best to keep cool.  
  
"I know a bit about them. I've done some reading."  
  
"Nothing more first-hand, though, right?" Lily guessed on a whim. She was right. The look in his eyes when she said that was unmistakable.  
  
He opened his mouth to answer, but Lily never heard what he was going to say. A pair of hands covered her eyes and a voice whispered, "Guess who?" in her ear.  
  
"Get your hands off me, Potter, unless you want a severe pain in your- "  
  
"Okay, I get the point." He stepped around her. "So what are you two doing? I didn't run in on anything, did I?"  
  
Lily was about to respond in a strong negative manner, when she caught a mischievous glint in Black's eye.  
  
"Actually, James, you did," he said, winking at Lily from behind his friend's back. She tried not to snort, but decided to play along.  
  
"Good thing he didn't come in five minutes ago, huh?" She was having a hard time suppressing her laughter at the look on Potter's face.  
  
"You- you're not serious, are you?"  
  
"Oh, absolutely." Lily slipped her hand into Black's. Potter narrowed his eyes.  
  
"You're faking, aren't you?"  
  
Black's face was the picture of innocent surprise. "Why would we do that?"  
  
"You are! You're trying to make me jealous!"  
  
An idea occurred to Lily. Should I or shouldn't I, she mused. Well, she was known as the Gryffindor daredevil, wasn't she? "Here, we'll prove it," she told James, and turned toward Black. She saw a mixture of disbelief, eagerness, and glee in his eyes as she leaned in and kissed him.  
  
Lily heard James give a strangled yelp and run off. She pulled away from Black, grinning. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said apologetically. Black, however, looked anything but embarrassed.  
  
A grin spread across his face. "Evans," he said with respect in his voice, "I never knew you had it in you."  
  
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So, what do you think? Please review, please please please! 


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